Following a re-emergence in September, Kelela returns with the club-ready new single, “Happy Ending.” Produced by LSDXOXO with additional production from Bambii, the song draws inspiration from the rapture of a club crush and the release after a sexy buildup of tension. The single is accompanied by an Alima Lee and Kelela co-directed video that snapshots black rave culture in New York City
Last month, Kelela returned with her first new music since 2017’s Take Me Apart. The ethereal “Washed Away” and its breathtaking visual have garnered widespread acclaim, with fans and critics alike celebrating the visionary musician’s return. Subsequently, Kelela appeared on the cover of DAZED’s Autumn 2022 issue to talk about her period of renewal and her impact on electronic dance music—Revisit the story here.
Praise for Kelela and “Washed Away”
- “[‘Washed Away’] is an immediate reminder not just of Kelela’s singular, stone-smooth voice, but also of the confident restraint of her artistry. Here, as ever, she’s moving at her own pace.” — New York Times
- “Kelela’s impact on the culture is undeniable…she’s back to raise the bar once more.” — DAZED
- “[Kelela] delivers angelic runs and impassioned vocals over a bed of equally divine synths radiating with the vastness and warmth of sun rays, gently filling all and every space.” — Billboard
- “Where the hell was Kelela after all these years? Making gorgeous music, of course.” — PAPER
- “Stunning” — Rolling Stone
Skillfully straddling the frequencies of R&B and Dance music, Kelela has established herself as an artistic interpolator of music, art and fashion. In 2017, Kelela’s debut album, Take Me Apart, accelerated her inevitable rise to mainstream acclaim in both pop and underground culture. In the years prior, Cut 4 Me (2013) and Hallucinogen (2015) – among her other remix projects and features – cemented her artistry as a leading force in the alternative, underground R&B world. Thoughtfully intermixing elegance, futurism, divinity and sensuality, Kelela’s unique perspective has carved a lane that demonstrates style as both a component of art, and art in and of itself